So close. So very close.
The Laingsburg Wolfpack nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament in the Class C title game against Beecher. But at the end, Laingsburg could not get the basket it needed to upend the Buccanneers, lost 40-39, and had to settle for the runner-up trophy and a final record of 24-3.
With some Beecher players, including Mr. Basketball Monte Morris, suffering from a flu-like illness that reportedly stemmed from food poisoning after Friday’s semifinal game, Laingsburg took advantage and led 14-10 after the first quarter, trailed 21-19 at halftime, and battled to a 28-28 tie after three quarters.
Beecher, leading 40-39 with three seconds to go, missed a free throw that was rebounded by Shaun McKinney. But the Wolfpack weren’t able to get a good shot off at the other end as time expired.
Laingsburg shot 13 of 31 from the floor for 41.9 percent but shot 11 of 14 free throws.
McKinney had 15 points for the Wolfpack, while Jake Zielinski scored 14 points.
“There’s no better place to get than here,” Zielinski said. “It feels great. We were a couple of plays short. We’ll have to live with the result of things.”
“With an ending like this, it’s hard to embrace everything right now,” McKinney said.
Finishing second was heartbreaking for Laingsburg, which was somewhat surprised to even get to the finals.
“I’m not sure what to say at this point,” coach Greg Mitchell said after the game. “My heart goes out to our guys. I’m so thankful for their effort. I felt we played good team basketball today. A bounce or two or three and we’re feeling a little better than we are now. I’m proud of our seniors. They gave us quite a ride.
“This was a team not expected to win our league, not expected to win our district, not expected to win our regionals, and certainly not expected to be here, and we’re a couple of points shy from being state champs. That’s going to be a tough one. I’m proud of where we are now.”
On the final play, Laingsburg ran a high ball screen in hopes of getting the winning basket.
“We scrambled for the basketball, I don’t know if there was any contact or not,” Mitchell said. “For our first time here, we’ve been embraced. All the credit goes out to our players. These guys were exceptional; our fans were exceptional and and gave us a big boost. I wish we could have finished it off for them.”
Laingsburg opened the season with a 50-41 loss to Corunna.
“By midseason, I started to believe we could accomplish great things,” Mitchell said. “I knew it was in us and we had to find it. These guys expected to win today. That’s why it’s so difficult.”